2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec Diesel Review and First Look – The Diesel Driver – The Joy of Diesel Driving
Fuel Economy and Performance
The diesel engine does make a difference in the car’s range. The BlueTec version of the E350 gets 30% better fuel economy that the petrol variant thanks to diesel fuel’s higher energy density.
This means that the E350 BlueTec is not only an excellent Autobahn cruiser but that it’s perfectly suited for long U.S. road trips as well. Using only 7.1 l/100 km (33 mpg), the car should be able to travel 1,253 km (779 miles) thanks to a fuel tank capacity of 89 liters (23.5 gallons).
We’ll be testing that fuel capacity tomorrow with a round trip from New York to Boston, which is roughly a 700 km (435 mile) round trip. When we are done, we should have almost half a tank left over.
Driving the E350 BlueTec is an exercise in normalcy. Friends had to ask me to prove I was driving a diesel because the clatter they expected to hear was virtually non-existent in the cabin. The brakes felt like they could stop a freight train and the active and passive safety features (nine airbags, active headlamps, and the Pre-Safe system which, when it senses an impending crash, battens down the hatches by closing the windows and sunroof, adjusting the seats, and pre-tensioning the safety belts) give the driver a feeling of security, to say the least.
The drive is refined and luxurious; again, the words solid and firm come to mind. The steering is precise although there is little road feel, and the car has the presence and feel typical of mid-sized Mercedes sedans.
The interior screams Mercedes but, despite design touches reminiscent of Benzes past, it’s completely up-to-date with a large LCD for the navigation and Comand cockpit controller and clear, easy-to-read gauges in the panel. Fit and finish are excellent and the materials used throughout the cabin are rich without being ostentatious. The controls, just like the E350 BlueTec itself, are illustrative of Teutonic engineering at its best.
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec | |
| Base price/price-as-tested | $51,175/$60,565 |
| Drivetrain | Front engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Engine | 3.0/210 hp/turbocharged V-6 |
| Transmission | 7-speed automatic |
| Curb weight (lbs) | 4,059 |
| Wheelbase (inches) | 113.1 |
| Length x width x height (inches) | 191.7 x 75.9 x 57.7 |
| 0-60 mph (seconds) | 6.6 |
| City/Highway fuel economy (mpg) | 22/33 (estimated) |
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